How Technology Has Changed My Life

Technology

So this is week 5 of my learning theories class at Walden University and I will be sharing with the world how technology has changed my life.

How has your network changed the way you learn? My network has changed the way I learn by making the resources I need right at my hands anytime I need them.  I am getting into reading all types of literature and I like to know what the words mean based on the context that they are used in the sentence the author is writing.  Technology had made it easier for me to pursue a master’s degree and work on becoming certified in the Wilson’s language reading program.  I have created a mind map and scanned it into the computer to make a jpeg.   

Facebook has allowed me to keep in touch with family and friends who do not live near me; it has allowed me to have real time conversations and see how they are doing at any time of the day or night.  The internet has provided me with inspirational messages, and endless ideas for crocheting and knitting.

Which digital tools best facilitate learning for you? I use my pc for learning along with my ipad and smart phone.

How do you gain new knowledge when you have questions? When I have questions I start out by googling my inquiries and then I take my time to read different titles on my topic until I have found an article or PDF of interest.  I also gain knowledge about questions I may have by using the library pages at Walden University especially if I am trying to support a thought I have when replying to a post by my classmates or professor. 

Speaking of learning by googling, I looked up jpeg and learned that it is, “JPEG stands for "Joint Photographic Expert Group" and, as its name suggests, was specifically developed for storing photographic images.” I did not know that this term applies to photographers and how they use technology to compress pictures in order to share them on the internet prior to doing my mind map.

In what ways does your personal learning network support or refute the central tenants of connectivism? Before I can answer the question I have to define for my audience what connectivism is per George Siemens, Connectivism is presented as a learning theory that integrates technology, social networks, and information. Education is not just based on the individual as older learning theories assert but education is now broader because of the systems in which it may be obtained. 

After looking at the definition for connectivism I believe that my network of learning through the internet definitely supports connectivism.  Education is not solely based on what I know but it is based on an abyss of knowledge through networks like linkedin, facebook, twitter, email, gmail, online universities, dictionaries of all sorts. . . All of these networks enhance what I learn and they encompass cognitivism , constructionism, and behaviorism.

Cognitive information processing theories focus on how people attend to environmental even encode information to be learned and relate it to knowledge in memory, store new knowledge in memory, and retrieve it as needed, stated by Ormrod et al, (2008) p.48.   I think the all of the new ways technology allows us to learn supports the cognitive processing because we can find different ways to integrate new information into existing information using any number of websites that distribute information in any form, (pictures, music, lectures), the student finds helpful.

Constructionism the learner makes or builds his or her own learning experiences which using technology each person can build their knowledge base in ways that are relevant to them.

As we started this class out we talked about behaviorism and the need for the student to gain information through stimulus and response. One experience I had was when I took the GRE using the computed adapted system and once I was done I had immediate results; gone are the days of waiting three to five months to receive test scores back.

References:

Cambridge in Colour; A learning community for photographers. Image types JPEGS and TIFF files. Retrieved from  2-9-13. http://www.cambridgeincolour.com/tutorials/imagetypes.htm

Laureate Education, Inc. (2009). Connectivism [dvd]. Baltimore, MD: George Siemens

Ormrod, J. E., Schunk, H., Gredler, M. (2008). Learning Theories and Instruction p. 48-97.  Custom Publishing New York.